forgive

Pronunciation

• IPA: /fə(ɹ)ˈɡɪv/, /fɔː(ɹ)ˈɡɪv/; /fɚˈɡɪv/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English foryeven, forgiven, inherited from Old English forgiefan (“to give, grant; to pardon”),^[2][3][4][5] from for- (“completely”) and giefan (“to give”) (see give).^[2][3] It corresponds to Old Saxon fargeban, Dutch vergeven, German vergeben and Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌲𐌹𐌱𐌰𐌽 (fragiban, “to grant”),^[2][4] and Etymonline suggests that the pardoning sense comes from a Germanic loan-translation of Vulgar Latin *perdōnāre (see pardon).^[3][2] The hard g is from give, itself influenced by Norse; the Old English form would have given *foryive.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

To give or grant: about 900 in Barnhart and the OED, a sense now obsolete.^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

To remit a debt and to pardon an offence or an offender are from about 1000.^[6][3] To give up resentment or wrath is from about 1200.^[6] Forgiveness is from Old English forgifennes, before 1121 as forgivenesse.^[2][4] In Leicestershire and East Anglian dialect, frost was said to forgive when it thawed slightly.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 900 – to give, grant.^[2][6]
• c. 1000 – to pardon an offence or debt.^[6]
• c. 1200 – to give up resentment.^[6]

Modern meaning

Verb

1. To stop feeling angry or resentful towards someone for an offence.
2. To pardon an offence or mistake.
3. To cancel a debt or obligation.

Word family

• forgivable
• forgivably
• forgiver
• forgiveness
• forgiving

Related words

• give
• pardon
• forget

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)